Preparing a CV

What is a CV?

A CV is a summary of your work experience, education, and skills put together to tell an employer about yourself when applying for a job.

Your CV should contain the following:

Personal Details – name, address, telephone number, email address.
Personal Statement – 3 or 4 short sentences summarising your skills, qualities and experience.
Skills & Achievements – focus on those that are relevant to the job you are applying for.
Education & Qualifications – start with the most recent school or college, listing the qualifications you gained from each one.
Work Experience – again, start with the most recent first. Include the job title, where it was you did the work, how long you were there. You then need to list some duties and responsibilities you undertook while there. Include any part-time jobs, voluntary work or work experience.
Hobbies & interests – try and link your interests to the job you are applying for.
Referees – state that your references are ‘available upon request’. (Always ask your references for permission before you give out their details).

Keep your CV to no longer than two sides of A4. It's just meant to be a summary of your skills and qualifications.
Use a font that is clear - something professional like Calibri or Arial - minimum 11 point.
Make sure your email address is one that's suitable for an employer to see.
Save a copy for future use but don't use the same CV for every job. Make sure you ensure it is relevant to the position that you are applying for.
Always get someone else to check it for spelling and grammar and other mistakes.
Use a computer to produce it, don't handwrite it.

Don't forget that in Your Account you can create your CV using the CV writer!

But, here's some useful websites to help you with putting your CV together.

Youth Employment UK

A useful article with tips on writing your first CV.

The National Careers Service

How to write a CV.

BBC Bitesize Careers

How to write a great CV and covering letter.